Sheet material conveying and supporting means



Nov. 27, 1951 l v. A. Fox

SHEET MATERIAL CONVEYING AND SUPPORTING MEANS .s sheets-shea 1 originalFiled Feb. 2o, 1942 :Suunto:

vfA. Fox 2,576,218

SHEET MATERIAL CONVEYING AND SUPPORTING MEANS Nov. 27, 1951 3Sheet's-Sheet 2 Original Filed Ferbl. 20, 1942 Gttornegs Nov. 27, 1951 vA, FCX 2,576,218

SHEET MATERIAL CONVEYING AND SUPPORTING MEANS original Filed Feb. 2o,1942 3 sheets-sheet s :inventor Y 7,6 Hf@ A L/fa. ttornegs Patented Nov.27, 1951 UNITE-'D STA-TES PATENT Q-FFICE i MATERIAL CONVEYING AND`SUPPORTING MEANS VernieA. Fox, DetroitgrMich., assignor, by mesneassignments; to-Young Brothers Company, Detroit,` Micln, a corporationof Michigan Original application February 20, 1942, Serial No. 432,541.Divided and this application February 26,1945, Serial No. 579,756

7 Claims.` (Cl. 198-102) This" invention relates to-heat processing`machines, andL in particularto=conveyoretype heat Another object is toprovide-a;` h'eat processing machine having a. travelling conveyor withsheet carriers spaced at intervals therealong, these sheet" carriersbeing constructed" and arranged with elongated'central supports toconvey either large or small" sheets. without leaving the lower edgeunsupported at* its ends;

Anotherobj ect-isto provide a' carrier'for 'sheets of lmaterialconsisting or a-framework of rods or bars adapted" to be carried' by a"conveyor andl having provisions` for' leaving` portionsk of theV lowerLedge accessible for engagement` byother portions of the machine yetlprovidingA an elongated'centrall support for `several different sizes ofsheets or plates.

Thisis-ia-divisionof my application-tiled February 20,- 1942 for HeatProcessing- Machine, Serial No.` 432,541, and now Patent No 2,406,821,grantedSeptember 3, 1946.

i Inl the drawings:

Figure 1` is aside elevation, partlyin section, ofi the outletend of avheat processing machine accordingto a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

Figure 2 uis a View similarto AFigure 1, but showing4 the inlet end andadjacent machinery;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section alongthe line to disclose theconstruction moreclearly;V

Figure4`is a--horizontal section similar'toFigure 3 but taken alongtheline `lL-lin Figure 2;

Figure 5U` isacross section along the line-5--5` in: Figure 1;

Figure 6 isl a side elevation of a portion of a 2 y Figure 9 is adetailed viewoflthe clutchshown in the lower centralportion oflFigures2iandi4;

Figure 10'is a diagrammatic side elevation` of the conveyorat the outletend of the machine,

`=\ showing the means whereby the lower edge ofthe sheet or plate ismomentarily advanced more rapidly than the upper edge so as to make itfall without injury.

General arrangement In general, the heat processingmachine of thisinvention includes an oven Within downwardlyinclined ends for conservingheated air which is circulated through the oven by fans` or blowers;

* An endless conveyor moves through the oven and is provided with spacedsheetcarriersV at intervals therealong. The sheet carriers consist oi"lopen frames (Figure 5) having gaps at the bottom 2D,thereoi'to permitengagement of the sheet with n the conveyor for conveying various sizesof sheets *Without changing the sheet carriers.

The spacing oi the carriers along the conveyor andthe mounting cf thecarriers at their opposite ends on a pair of parallel conveyors enablesthe central portions to be maintained comparatively` `free fromobstructions.

provided for circulatingheated air upward and- Heaters and blowers aredownward'between the sheets on their carriers in a zigzag path, thisheated air being iinally exhausted from the oven by an exhaust ianlocated near the inlet of the oven, thereby causing the heated airto'travel in the opposite direction to the conveyor and sheets.

An'auxiliary conveyor is provided at the outlet end of the machine fortemporarily moving the lower edges or the sheets ahead ofV the upperedges, so that as the carriers swing downwardat the ends of theconveyor, the sheets will fall gently and without shock; therebypreventing damage to the sheets and possible injury tothe machine andoperators. A- withdrawalconveyor is provided adjacent this auxiliaryconveyor for carrying away the sheets as they are unloaded from the ovenconveyor.

Machine driving mechanism Referring tothe drawings in detail, Figures 1to 4 inclusive show the heat processing machine of this invention asconsisting of an oven generally designated l0 containing an endlessconveyor generally designated Il having sheet caraerobic carriers I2 andin a direction opposite the direction of travel of the conveyor litoward an exhaust fan il' located near the inlet E8 of the oven l@(Figure 2).

Also located adjacent the oven inlet i3 is a printing machine is, acoating machine 25 and a feeder 2| located therebetween. The machinesla, 2t and 2| in themselves form no part of the present invention,except as to their main driving motor 22 which cooperates with anauxiliary driving motor 23 to drive the machines i9, 25 and 2i togetherwith the conveyor il by the motor 22, or optionally to drive theconveyor il alone by means of the auxiliary motor 23. The drive from themain motor shaft 2d is conveyed to the shaft 25 oi"` the machine i9 by abelt or chain 26 interconnecting the pulleys or sprocket 21 and 28(Figure 4).

The shaft 25l carries a pulley or sprocket 29 which drives a pulley orsprocket 35 by means of a chain or belt 3l. The sprocket or pulley 3E isloosely mounted upon a shaft 32 mounted in brackets 33 and drives theshaft 32 through a jaw clutch 33. The shaft 32 carries a bev-el gear 35meshing with a bevel gear 36 mounted on a shaft 31. The latter isconnected by means of a jaw clutch 33 to the auxiliary driving motor 23by means of a sprocket or pulley 33 mounted loosely upon the shaft 31.The shaft 31 extends lengthwise of the machine and the pulley orsprocket 39 is driven by a chain or belt 4| from a pulley or sprocket e2mounted on the shaft 43 of the auxiliary motor 23. The shaft 31 alsocarries a sprocket or pulley i4 driving a sprocket or pulley i5 by meansof a chain or belt 45. rThe sprocket or pulley l5 is mounted upon theinput shaft i1 of a reduction gear set 48, the output shaft 49 of whichis mounted transversely in the machine frame members 5@ and carries apair of sprockets 5I meshing with the conveyor chains 52. IIhe shaft 31(Figure l) is rotatably supported in brackets 53 mounted on the ovensupports 5d and upon the outlet support 55, and at its outer end carriesa sprocket or pulley 56 driving a sprocket or pulley 5l by means of achain or belt 5S. The sprocket or pulley 51 is mounted upon the inputshaft 59 of a reduction gear set 6), the output shaft 5| of whichcarries a pair of sprockets t2 driving the outlet ends of the mainconveyor chains 63 of the conveyor l l, the inlet ends of which aredriven by the sprockets 5I upon the shaft 49. The shaft 5i is likewisemounted transversely upon the outlet frame members 64. The shaft 52 alsocarries a pair of auxiliary conveyor sprockets S5 driving the sprockets66 upon the shaft 51 by means of the belts or sprocket chains 68 of theauxiliary conveyor I3 (Figure 3) The auxiliary conveyor shaft 31 ismounted in brackets 89 supported upon the outlet frame members (it. Thelatter also Ycarry brackets 18 rotatably suppo-rting the shafts ilcarrying pulleys or sprockets 12 driving the belts or chains 13 of thewithdrawal conveyor Iii. The latter is also provided with anintermediate sprocket or pulley 'It mounted upon a shaft 15 (Figure l0)supported invbrackets 16 and driving an intermediate belt or chain 11.

The jaw clutches 34 and 38 are of similar con-a struction in that theyare arranged to drive their particular shaft in one direction and toslip relatively thereto in the opposite direction. Accordingly a singledescription suices for each of the clutches 34 and 38 (Figure 9), theclutch 38 being selected for this purpose. The clutch 38 consists of adriving member Y18 connected to the pulley 39 and having jaw portions I9interconnected by inclined portions 80. The pulley 19 is looselyrotatable upon the shaft 31, and seats against a collar 8| pinned as at82 to the shaft 31. Cooperating with the clutch member 18 is a clutchmember 83 having driving shoulders or jaws 84 interconnected by inclinedportions 85, the clutch member 83 being keyed or splined to the shaft 31as at 86, so as'to be slidable longitudinally along the shaft 31 bymeans of a spring 81 seated against a collar 88 pinned as at 88 to theshaft 31. In this manner each clutch 34 or 38 drives its shaft 32 or 31in one direction but slips and clicks without driving connection whenthe drive is in the opposite direction.

The purpose of the clutches 34 and 38, as described in connection withthe operation of the machine, is to permit the conveyor I I to be drivennormally by the main driving motor 22 when the machines I9 and 2li arein operation, yet to permit the auxiliary driving motor 23 to Vdrive theconveyor I I when the main driving motor 22 is halted and the machinesI9 and 20 are shut down. In this way the sheets or plates 90 (Figure 10)which have been printed and possibly coated are carried through the ovenI8 and dried even after the machines I9 and 2li and their driving motor22 have ceased operation.

Oven construction The oven ID is an elongated box-like structure withside walls 9| (Figures 3 and 5), a top 92 and a bottom 93. The oven alsohas inlet and outlet ends 94 and 95 respectively (Figures 1 and 2). Theinlet end 94 for the purpose of conserving heat is directed downwardlytoward the inlet I8. The inlet end 94 is provided with a port 96communicating with the conduit 91 in a casing 98 containing the exhaustfan I1 for creating a suction to remove air which has traversed the ovenand to discharge this air into the discharge conduit 99.

The outlet end of the oven I0 (Figurel) is provided with an outlet |00communicating with a hood or vestibule II likewise for the purpose ofconserving heat and minimizing the escape of the heated air. Baiiles |02are distributed at intervals along the interior of the oven Il] forimpeding the direct passage of the air from one end of the ovenv to 4theother so as to force it downwardly between the sheets 90 as `they arecarried along by the conveyor upon the carriers I2. One of the walls 9|of the oven is provided with doors I3 for permitting access to theburners I6 and other portions of the interior of the machine Y Theburners I6 are shown as gas burners but othertypes may obviously beemployed. The air heated by the burners is 4circulated by the fans orblowers I5, which are located in casings |84 having inlets |85 andoutlets |06. The blowers I5 are operated by shafts |01 mounted inbrackets Ill-8 (Figure 5) secured to the walls 9|. The shafts |81 carrypulleys |09 driven by belts ||8 from pulleys III upon the shafts I I2 ofmotors |I3. l The latter are mounted upon brackets lI I4 beneath thelongitudinal `frame 51 members |I5 interconnecting the oven supports 54.The brackets ||4 are also matched by corresponding brackets IIS on theopposite side of the machine (Figure 5) and these together support theangle guide rails III upon which the conveyor chain 63 travels on itsreturn path.

The interior of the oven is likewise provided with angle guide rails I8which. support the conveyor 63 in its travel through the oven, and theseguide rails H8 are inclined downwardly at the opposite ends of the oven.Cooling fan motors IIB provided with fans |20 in casings I2| are locatednear the outlet end 95 of the oven so as to cool the sheets or plates 90as they emerge from the vestibule or hood |I.

Near the oven outlet |00 the guide rails I|8 are supported by a crossmember |22 and elsewhere within the oven by Across members |23 (FigureThe latter are connected to the longitudinal angle members |24 and alsocarry) spaced longitudinal members |25 between which the air maycirculate freely.

Conveyor and carrier construction The conveyor and carriers I2 includethe conveyor chains 53 mounted upon the guide rails HB and IIT aspreviously described. The conveyor chains 63 consist of links |26 and|27 pivotally connected to pivot pins |28 carrying rollers |29 whichroll along the top edges of the guide rails and I|8. The pivot pins |28are provided on one side with heads and on the other side are held inplace by cotter pins |30. Mounted adjacent the links |2'| are anglemembers |3I which extend out over the links |21 and provide rests forthe lower edges of the sheets or plates 90 which form the work pieceshandled by the machine, Adjacent the opposite links |26 are mountedchannel members |32 having aligned apertures |33 and |34 (Figure 8)through which |35 of the carriers I2.`

pass the side portions These side portions |35 are bifurcated as atv|36a and spread apart after their insertion so as to prevent theiraccidental withdrawal.

The side portions |35 are bent inwardly to form top portions |36 and|37. The top portion |37 is bent downwardly in a diagonal portion |38(Figure 5) to the portion |35 in any suitable way, as by spot welding.The top portion |36 is bent diagonally downwardly in a portion |40 whichis secured at the top portion |4| to the diagonal portion |33. Adiagonal portion |42, also secured at the top portion |43 to thediagonal portion |38, continues downwardly to a junction at the topportion |44 with the other side member |35. Secured at its opposite ends|45 to the diagonal members |33 and |42 is a U-shapeddownwardlyextending frame |46 having side portions |4'I and a crossportion |48 at the bottom thereof. Secured to the bottom portion |48 atthe corners of the frame |46 are sheet supports |49. The sheet supportsare inclined upwardly as at |49a (Figure 6) and serve to support thelower edges or" the sheets 90.

rIhe carriers |2 are thus spaced at intervals along the chain 63 and areinclined upwardly so that the sheets or plates 90 rest in inclinedpositions as they travel through the oven (Figure 6). The downwardlyextending frame |46 with its supports |49 enables sheets smaller thanthe maximum size sheets to be conveyed, hence there is no necessity forchanging the carriers I2 for different sizes of sheets. Moreover, theopen spaces between the side members |35 and |46 permit the lower edgesof the plates to be engagedby the auxiliary conveyor 68 (Figure 10)which passes through these spaces and serves to advance the lower edgesof the sheets ahead of their upper edges as previously described above.

Operation In the operation of the machine of this invention, the mainand auxiliary driving motors 22 and 23are energized to cause theconveyor II to pursue its orbital path through the oven I0 and also todrive the printing press I9 and coating machine 20. The switches |53 arethen closed, energizing the blower motors I I, II3 and |I9, and causingair to now through the oven in a circuitous path opposite the directiontravel of the conveyor II. ,The baliies |02 cause the air to mcve'up anddown between the carriers I2, so that the air follows a zigzag path asindicated by the arrows in Figures 1 and 2.

The operator also lights the gas burners I6 to heat the oven. The flowof gas to the burners I6 is controlled by a safety control circuitdisclosed and claimed in the Fox Patent No. 2,406,- 822, issuedSeptember, '1946.

In the meantime, the printing machine I9 and coating machine 20 havebeen imprinting designs cn the sheets 90 of the tin or other material,and these have been deposited upon the carriers |2 as the conveyor movesthem through the oven. The heated air circulates in a zigzag paththrough the spaces between. the carriers and the sheets, and follows ageneral direction opposite to the direction of travel of the conveyor l,due to the operation of the exhaust fan 93. As the sheets or plates 90emerge from the vestibule |0I, they are cooled by the drafts of cool aircoming from the cooling fans |20 operated by the motors I9.

It is to be noted that the fan |20 and blower I5 adjacent the outlet ofthe oven are arranged so that cool air will be directed upwardly throughand between the plates |2 and will be further directed into the oven byreason of the hood I0! so as to be forced or drawn downwardly throughthe sheets I2 to the intake of said blower I5. In this manner, the heatfrom the oven may be prevented from escaping to the surroundingatmcsphere so that operation of the oven may be carried out duringsummer months without unduly heating the atmosphere in the building inwhich the oven is installed.

While the carriers I2 move over the auxiliary conveyors 68, the latterextend into the spaces in the bottom edges of the carriers I2, engagingthe bottom edges of the sheets 90. Slince the auxiliary conveyors 68 aremoving more rapidly than the main conveyor chains 63, the bottom edgesof the sheets or plates 90 are moved ahead of their top edges (Figure10) so that as the carriers |2 swing downwardly around the shaft 62 asan axis, the sheets 90 lie flat against the back of each carrier, untilthey arrive at the withdrawal conveyors 13 and "I1, The latter conveyorsthen convey the sheets to the next stage of operations such as theforming of cans from the sheets.

Meanwhile, the auxiliary driving motor 23 has also been operating but ithas failed thus far to drive the shaft 3'I since the automatic bodyclutch 38 prevents this by the slippage of the clutch members 18 and 83relative to each other (Figure 9).

If now the desired quantity of sheets or plates have been printed andcoated and the main driving motor 22 is shut down to halt the machines7* ISand 20, the shaft 25 and the pulley or sprocket 30 immediately cometo rest. Due to thev provision'v of the automatic jaw clutches 34 and38, however, the auxiliary driving motor 23 now drives the shaft 31through the jaw clutch 38 while the clutch members of the jaw clutch 34slip relatively to each other.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been described andillustrated, it will be understood that various modifications may bemade within the scope of the appended claims without departing from thespirit of the invention.

WhatI claim is:

I1.V A conveyor apparatus comprising a plurality oflongitudinally-movable laterally-spaced conveying devices, a pluralityof sheet carrier frames secured near their opposite lateral'edges tosaid conveying devices, whereby to provide access to said frames atlocations between said conveying devices, said carrier frames havinggaps in their bottom edge portions extending between said respectiveconveying devices for facilitating engagement of the sheets for removalfrom said frames and having secured thereto structures depending intoand laterally spaced from the edges of such gaps, said structures havinggenerally horizontally projecting sheet-upholding means adapted toengage and uphold the lower edges of sheets resting against said frames.

2. A conveyor apparatus comprising a longitudinally-movable conveyingdevice, a plurality of sheet carrier frames secured at spaced intervalsalong said conveying device, said carrier frames having gaps in theirbottom portions, and an auxiliary conveyor disposed beneath said framesadjacent the discharge end of said conveying device and engageable withthe edges of said sheets in said gaps for engaging and advancing thebottom edges of said sheets more rapidly than the upper edges thereof,whereby to move said bottom edges from the front of one carrier frametoward the back of the preceding carrier frame.

3. A sheet carrier for sheet conveyors comprising a framework oflaterally spaced uprights having `interconnecting members connectedtheref between and having a pair of upwardly-extend-- ing gapsin thebottom thereof, and a central member in said framework having -asheet-upholding support on the lower portion thereof spaced away fromsaid conveyor and engageable with the lower edge of said sheet betweensaid gaps whereby to carry either large or small sheets in said carrierwhile facilitating access to the lower edges thereof.

4. A conveyor apparatus comprising a longitudinally-movable conveyingdevice, a plurality.

of sheet carrier frames secured at spaced intervals along said conveyingdevice, said carrier frames having gaps in their bottom portions, anauxiliary conveyor disposed beneath said frames adjacent the dischargeend of said conveying device and engageable with the edges of saidsheets in said'gaps for engaging and advancingl the bottom edges of saidsheets more rapidly than the upper edges thereof, whereby to move saidbottom edges from the front of one carrier device. 1

5.A sheet carrier for a sheet conveyor comprising a sheet carrier framehaving side members attachable to said conveyor, said carrier frameincluding diagonally extending cross arms connected at theirintermediate portions and having their ends connected with the sidearms, and a bracket-shapedV member having downwardly-extending spacedlegs depending from and connected to said diagonally extending crossarms, said legs being spaced inwardly from said side arms toprovide gapstherebetween.

' 6. A sheet carrier for a sheet conveyor comprising a sheet carrierframe having side members attachable to said conveyor, said carrierframe including diagonally extending cross arms connected at their Yintermediate portions and having their ends` connected with the sidearms, and a bracket, having downwardly extending spaced legs connectedto said diagonally extending cross arms, said bracket including aU-shaped member having projections on the connecting portion thereof toprovide a flange for engaging the lower edge of the sheet material. v

7. A sheet carrier for a sheet conveyor comprising a frame having a pairof spaced side arms attachable to said conveyor, diagonally extendingcross arms connecting opposed pairs of side arms, and `a U-shapedbracket member having downwardly-extending spaced legs connected attheir upper ends to said diagonally-extending arms and having aconnecting -portion at their lower ends provided with lug extensions forengaging the lower edge of a piece of sheet material, said bracketmember being spaced later-V ally from the lower portions of said crossarms and from said side arms to provide open gaps therebetween.

y VERNIE A. FOX.

REFERENCES CITED Y The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number A Name Date l1,318,187 Taliaferro Oct. 7,1919 1,443,104 Wagner et al Jan. 23, 1923 1,455,540 McManus May 15, 19231,467,211 Wagner et al. Sept. 4, 1923 1,468,18'1 Wagner et al. Sept. 18,1923 1,513,619 Luehrs Oct. 28, 1924 1,562,560 Hormel Nov. 24, 19251,864,415 Clark June 21, 1932 V2,309,259 Seigh Jan. 26, 1943 2,322,299Kouyoumjian June 22, 1943 2,338,015 Whitaker Dec; 28, 1943 2,362,847ONeil Nov. 14, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 420,180 GreatBritain Nov. 27, 1934

